Knights' lefty Jace Fry handcuffs Elks in key 4-1 win.

Southpaw Jace Fry (pictured) handcuffed Bend on four hits over six shutout innings and Corvallis defeated the Elks 4-1 for a crucial West Division win at Goss Stadium.

The Knights (33-16, 31-16 WCL) increased their lead over the second-place Elks (27-20) to four games, with seven left to play. They also reduced their magic number for clinching a West Division playoff berth to two, pending the outcome of the Cowlitz-Kitsap game on Sunday night.

Fry (2-1) struck out eight, walked just one, and lowered his ERA to 1.39. He threw 55 strikes in 85 pitches, did not allow an Elk to reach third base, and only once allowed more than one baserunner in an inning.

Reliever Jimmie Sherfy got a key hold with two scoreless innings, and Mitch Patito pitched the ninth. Patito retired the dangerous Michael Benjamin � who has two homers in three games at Goss Stadium this summer � on a grounder to third with the bases loaded to end the game.

The Knights took a 1-0 lead in the second when Kramer Scott was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, forcing in Ryan Gorton.

They got three key insurance runs in the eighth on a single by David Armendariz, a bunt single by Gorton and another bunt single by David Andriese. Bend pitcher Nate King threw the ball into the right-field corner on Andriese�s single, allowing two runs to score.

Andriese reached third on the play and came home on Corey Davis's sacrifice fly.

Gorton had two hits, raising his average to .325 overall and to .389 (14-36) over the last nine games. He has 15 RBIs in that span and is a leading candidate to earn WCL Player of the Week honors for July 25-31.

Sunday's crowd of 780 raised the 2011 season�s record-attendance to 33,043 in 26 dates. The old mark of 31,536 was established in 31 dates in 2009.

The Knights finish the series at Bend at 6:40 p.m. on Monday night. Righty Chris Johnson (4-0, 2.10) of University of Portland is the probable starter; he has a 16-inning scoreless streak over his last three starts.

Corvallis then heads to Klamath Falls for a three-game set with the Gems, starting on Tuesday night. The Knights next home game is Friday night, Barker Uerlings Insurance Mini Bat Night against the Dukes of WCL Portland.